Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1887-11-18
sTAUNTON, VIRGINIA, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER IS,
ascend considerable distance, and l an
ooinr tA trv II

ascend considerable distance, and l am
going to try it,.
We raised a unanimous protest, but
Walpole was obstinate.
II will take off my Shoes" he said,
"and by crawling on my hands and knees
and by hugging the face of the rock it will
be safe.''
There was no way of talking him out
of the notion, and as he could climb like
a cat we finally agreed to let him try it.
1t was slow work after the brave fellow
had got fairly started and we watched
him in breathleSs suspense. He craWled
at snail like pace, never looking down.
but keeping his eyes fixed Oh some point
above.
Two or three of the men made terri
BILE effort to follow him, but soon had to
retrace their steps. The pathway was so
narrow that only the most expert and
surefooted climber could make his way
1t was midday before Walpole reached
the edge of the white cloud or mist After
that we lost sight of him.
How far was he from the summit after
he entered the cloud? Would he be able
to proceed? Would he return alive2
We asked each other these questions as
we waited for the result.
1t was perhaps an hour after we had
lost sight of Walpole that we heard a
cracking, grinding noise.
We looked at the mountain, and to our
unutterable horror saw great fragments
of granite falling over the mountain side,
carrying with them the last vestige of the
steps by which our poor friend had as
cended!
The debris ratified down into the lake,
leaving the wall perfectly upright and
even, without the slightest projection to
which any one could cling.
AS the sound Of the falling rocks died
away we shouted the name of Walpole.
If he heard us in the luminous mist
above he made no reply
We spent one more night of anxiety
and suspense at the foot of Mount Mys-
terry.
There was absolutely no hope of ever
seeing our lost companion again, but we
could not tear ourselves from the place.
For the last time that night we heard
the ringing songs at.a the triumphant
music in the cloud. 1t seemed wilder,
louder, more exultant than before.
''They are rejoicing" said Hinton,
cover the capture or death of Walpole."
I did not doubt it. 1t was not likely
that these strange jewellers in the air
would spare one from the earth below who
found his way into their midst.
The tumult on the mountain lasted I'M
til daybreak. There was nothing to be
gained by delaying our departure, and it
was with sense of relief that we marched
off, hoping this time to reach the coast.
1t would be tiresome to relate the story
of our trials. We made our way to the
little port where the brig awaited us, and
told the captain all about the tragic adj
venture OF Mount Mystery.
81 dreaded something Of the kind"
said the old man. 'Do you know that
the mountain has figured in our sea
stories for more than century? do not
believe in anything supernatural, but I
believe that if any explorers ever reach
the top of Mount Mystery they will find a
tribe of people who, with their ancestors,
have been cut off from the rest of the
world for hundreds of years. AS for poor
Walpole, it does not matter whether he is
living or dead. He is dead to the world.
He will never get out of that big white
cloud and find his way to the plains be-
low
So we sailed away in the Pacific, and
from that day to this I have never heard
anything further from the mysterious
land in the luminous cloud.-Wallace P.
Reed in Atlanta Constitution.